Fire wardens busy over weekend putting out abandoned campfires

The BC Wildfire Service is once again asking campers to be more careful with fire use after fire wardens in the Kamloops fire area discovered and extinguished 21 abandoned campfires over the weekend.

Since July 29, the Kamloops Fire Centre has responded to 20 new fire starts, 14 of which were caused by lightning.

“It is paramount that the public be vigilant with fire use and other activities in the backcountry during this time of increased fire activity,” reads a release from the Centre.

“Abandoned campfires may lead to wildfires and are completely preventable. Human-caused wildfires divert resources away from naturally-occurring incidents.”

Careless campfire use can have costly repercussions. Anyone who leaves a campfire unattended for any length of time can be fined $1,150. If that fire turns into a wildfire, that person may be fined up to $1 million, face three years in prison and be required to pay for all related fire suppression costs.

To date, the BC Wildfire Service has responded to 130 wildfires, which have burned 252 hectares. Fifty-seven of those fires were lightning-caused and 71 are suspected to be human-caused.

Currently, the fire danger rating through the region is moderate with pockets of high in the Clearwater, Salmon Arm, and Penticton Fire Zones.